The present invention concerns an armature for a motor-vehicle steering wheel. The hub, spokes, and rim are at least partly made out of a single sheet of metal. The metal is folded at the edge to produce a cross-section in the form of a U or L. The base of the section is essentially perpendicular to the axis of the steering wheel and the sides of the section essentially parallel that axis. An armature of this type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,435.
Such armatures are employed to manufacture motor-vehicle steering wheels, They have the advantage that they can be made in one piece with all their components out of a single sheet-metal blank. The blank is folded and stamped or punched into its final form. Various parts are subjected to different stress, and their stability can be ensured by varying the dimensions of the U or L at different points.
Another requisite for steering wheels is that they must be able to accommodate the work of deformation that occurs when the driver is propelled against them in the event of an accident. Airbags, of course, do reduce the risk of injury to a very considerable extent, but an ideally designed steering wheel can help to reduce that risk even more.